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If you're thinking of the San Diego Zoo as pricey, then I'd suggest getting a San Diego Zoological Society membership. It would pay for itself in 1 visit. However, for a truly unique experience, I'd recommend the San Diego Safari Park. It's more like the Serengeti and less like a zoo. The cheetah run is amazing. The zipline is a hoot. Animals being able to co-mingle and not in an enclosure. Even the big cats are free to roam around...
I see your point there-I am not sure if there is nationwide reciprocity on that, but that would get us both the zoo and the safari park at least, plus some other discounts and attractions it looks like, so I see your point.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NORTY FLATZ
While on your way North from San Diego, to LA, I'd suggest getting off the freeway at La Costa Avenue and going West to PCH. This goes thru Carlsbad and Oceanside, but terminates at Camp Pendleton's Harbor Drive on/off ramps. (Take the Strand St. while in Oceanside. It's a unique experience, too.) You might even see the Top Gun House, if you look....
Norty Flatz-I appreciate this guidance, this stretch looks cool. Also, presuming traffic isn't terribly bad on the way up to Inglewood, it seems like given we leave at 7:30/8 AM or so, as long as were only enjoying that drive (which does look gorgeous, and very different from what we'd be seeing further up the coast), I feel like we could totally fit that in and still get to SoFi by about 1 or before. As an aside, my older brother has probably made at least 5, and maybe by now, closer to 10, across the US drives from Orlando, and their ultimate point of stay/SoCal base for the trip is typically in Carlsbad. They go out and do things from that origin point throughout their 5-7 days there. So, my natural curiosity on seeing that is there too-I appreciate the point about the Top Gun house too.
This is probably very basic of us.. but my wife is a huge Dutch Bros. fan, which up until somewhat recently, we've had none of on the east coast. So the "sell" of that leg to her might be getting off at Oceanside Blvd. and then grabbing that and going from there.. haha. That said, that would require either skipping Carlsbad, or getting off in Carlsbad, then back over, then back to the coast again.. so, who knows.
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Originally Posted by NORTY FLATZ
Back to San Diego for a moment. A good place to eat is DZ Aikins.
Up in Carlsbad, you might try TipTop meats for "Big John's Breakfast." (Show up HUNGRY, not kidding here.)
If you find yourself in Newport Beach, then I can recommend Pizzeria Mozza. (She's known for her sourdough bread.)
There's some more for you to research!
I appreciate those foodie recommendations too-TipTop really looks like an institution! Pizzeria Mozza, is that the same outpost that also looks like it has one at Melrose and Highland within LA Proper? I only ask because we might end up closer to there at some point, before or after stopping in at The Grove.
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Originally Posted by NORTY FLATZ
EDIT~ The traffic from the airport is predominantly Northbound in the afternoons. (Including Sundays.) If you can get outta there by 3pm, you should be good. One other thing, we drive FAST here. The pace can be unsettling for people from other areas. You probably won't get used to it in 5 days. It takes a few months, really. At least, that's what I keep hearing from visitors from other areas. (Except France...) They're right at home, LOL!
Makes sense! Yeah, I myself am not super aggressive driving, but I've driven some in Miami and in Puerto Rico esp. which gave me some prep for that (I came back from those and other places thinking how relatively slow it seems like people in the I-4 corridor drive lol). With that said, I'm sure it will be different from my norm, and I will just have to be more aware.
SoFi is pretty close to the airport-so honestly, if I'm doing a midday tour Sun, it's very likely I'd find myself in that mess leaving from Inglewood up toward Griffith. That said, I suppose I'll just have to be patient and adjust my expectations and timelines as needed!
I'd do 5 days in San Diego, skip L.A. and the central coast, and fly up to SFO. Then do the rest of the time in Foster City with day trips to San Francisco and Marin and things like that.
L.A. is its own vacation and the central coast drive is pretty, but kind of tedious.
I do appreciate this, but I think the cost factor was the big thing which made us decide in that direction-granted, I know that's not the only thing to consider, but with 3 of us flying, at least the one-way airfare would've gone up quite a bit with adding on either another flight, or routing through SJC instead of SAN. Believe it or not, even factoring the slightly increased rental car cost which went into our booking for returning the car at a different airport (which, I worked until I was able to find one that didn't have an exorbitant difference on that), it's still several hundred dollars cheaper to work it out this way!
Taking bits and pieces from your posts a few considerations you may want to think about.
Day 1
For Balboa Park, unless you are going to go visit a few museums, you will probably be good after about 30 minutes walking around looking at the architecture. But it appears you are into shopping or unique items, and I would suggest stopping by the Spanish Village section of Balboa Park. It has many artist shops you can browse and buy from.
Sunset Cliffs are interesting, but IMO the view pales in comparison to the Central California coastline. So between that and Cabrillio, I would suggest Cabrillo. Coronado and the Hotel Del is interesting, but I think you may be stretching yourself a bit thin especially if you want to do everything else on your list that day.
Day 2 (Transition up to LA)
The tour of SoFi is about 2 hours and about 30 minutes to get over to Olivera Street. By 3-4 PM just be aware that some things may be wrapping up for the day and there won't be as much going on as there would be mid-afternoon. Parking can be difficult, but Union Station is practically right across the street and usually has decent parking. I would suggest a stop at Philippe's.
If you go to the Observatory realize a couple of items. Parking is often heavily impacted and at the observatory itself and not cheap. So you may want to look at alternate parking and shuttles or transportation. If you are going in the evening, you are going to want to spend more than an hour. Every evening(weather permitting) they open up the telescope for public viewing generally aimed at whatever may be interesting that evening.
Day 4 (PCH Day 1)
I would focus less on Malibu and more on Santa Barbara North.
At one point I think you mentioned Chanel Islands. The "National Park" are the islands offshore only accessible by boat. The Visitor Center in Ventura is more of a museum, but unless you are planning an entire day you won't be able to go out to the islands.
I would suggest Solvang but think you may be running into the same situation that by the time you get there, the town will be pretty much shutting down, and not a lot going on. There is nothing much in SLO worth visiting except perhaps the Madonna Inn. Even if you don't stay there it is a very "interesting" stop even if it is to just stretch your legs. In the evening if you want to head to Paso Robles there is an outdoor art installation called Sensorio that is something unique.
Something else to think about in this day range. There is Moro Bay and Hearst Castle both very interesting but would be an extra day in them to go to. So it would probably require an adjustment of the rest of your schedule.
Day 5
For 17-Mile Drive, you "can" do it in 30 minutes but the big part of the drive is the scenery or golf. So if you are thinking you will just get through in 30 minutes, I would skip the toll and just go to Monterey. We like to take this drive, and then stop at Pebble Beach for Lunch. We will often grab something from the deli and head down to one of the beach areas for lunch. I would plan for at least 2 hours, but factor in you may be spending more time there.
I would suggest the aquarium, but again depending on how fast you want to go through it expect to spend at least 90 minutes.
Haha, I think this is where perhaps overlaying my specific expectations for this leg of the drive may be more helpful. I have been to CA a few times in the past, and a big part of the reason for starting the journey in San Diego was that far and away it was the cheapest airfare to anywhere on the west coast, plus it's direct from where we are in Tampa Bay. I'm definitely not looking to see everything-just want to hit some new spots. Here's a sample, because my blind spot is, while fitting in plenty each day is a regular thing for us, I don't know just how much traffic, etc. will delay us in each of these places.
Day 1 (SD)-we will have already flown in the previous day-core goals are:
1) Spend a couple hours in the morning walking around Balboa Park-the middle section. I've been to the SD Zoo before and while it's great, it's pricy. I haven't seen the civic architecture part of Balboa before-also, if anyone has anyone good Mexican coffee/Cafe de Olla recommendations.. I'm all ears.
2) Some time throughout the day just wandering, but mainly perhaps eating at a couple spots in the urban core and other neighborhoods. There's a craft brewery near Petco Park called Mission that looks really cool.. inside an old factory I guess, so we would consider (?) checking that out or the central library which also looks pretty neat. Really would like to get some good authentic tacos. Some places that look cool are Tacos El Gordo, which I believe originated in Tijuana which ups the ante and I think is authentic, Oscar's seems like the most cited or famous fish taco place, and then Lucha Libre just looks like a fun concept.
3) Visiting the coast, either Coronado Resort area and beach, because I enjoy historic architecture, etc., or, heading over to Point Loma and seeing Sunset Cliffs and/or Cabrillo. Both have their appeals, the latter more of natural/views-we'd probably just pick one of these two-we aren't big spend all day at the beach people, so if we did Coronado, I would think we could probably get our fill there in like an hour.
Day 2 (Transition up to LA)
1) SoFi Stadium Tour-I booked a middle of the day tour-I figured if it was around 12:30 or 1, that it says from our hotel that it ranges between 2 and 2.5 hours to get to Inglewood from there-I'm guessing that means that even if we do get stuck in worse than that traffic (note, this will be a Sunday), that we'll be fine as long as we leave from our hotel by like 8:30 or so.
2) Drop through LA core from 3-6, perhaps Olvera Street, which I think is relatively more active on Sundays, and perhaps grab taquitos from Cielito Lindo and/or grab an original French Dip from Philippe to go (if they are actually as legit as their fame). If the parking situation isn't absolutely terrible, maybe go check out Last Bookstore.
3) Go up to Griffith Observatory (I am thinking to get there by about 6:30, and just stay like an hour or so, so that would still get us to our place in Burbank by around 8.
Day 3 (LA)
1) Morning doing something in Hollywood area (range between say, 9 AM and 2 PM)-we'd probably go to the original Farmer's Market and Grove, and maybe just briefly go past the TCL/Walk of Fame area, which honestly, I think we'd get our fill of pretty quickly. I've been past it, but my wife and daughter haven't-I think they would get a kick out of seeing the actual landmarks behind Hollywood Studios in LBV, FL.
(Alternatively, we might skip Hollywood altogether, since again, I've been, and maybe opt for seeing The Getty Museum.)
2) Find something good for lunch, I am thinking maybe trying the prepared food section at one of the LA area's 2 famous Japanese grocery chains, Nijiya or Mitsuya. Open to other ideas too.
3) Spend rest of the day (like 2:30/3 to 7:30/8) in one of two areas we decide: Either
3) Spend 2:30/3 to like 7:30/8 in one of two core areas: Santa Monica, which I've been to before, but honestly, that 3rd Street Promenade/Santa Monica Pier area is hands down my favorite urban space to visit I've been so far, having been to all of CA's big cities and several of the smaller ones. That, or for the first time giving a visit to Pasadena-the newness intrigues me, and the city itself just seems to have a lot of character and beauty to it's downtown, and maybe, better overall attractions than Santa Monica does.
Day 4 (PCH Day 1)
1) Morning moving towards and down through Malibu. I may stop at Paramount Ranch for a bit, possibly to see the baseball field at Pepperdine overlooking the water, and then maybe stop to stretch legs at Mugu Rock. Thinking because some of this will be caught in LA traffic, allotting between like 8 AM and 12:30 PM to cover this.
2) Afternoon spent in Santa Barbara. Grabbing lunch somewhere, visiting the courthouse, no major agenda otherwise just walking and doing a bit of shopping and getting steps in. I anticipate being in Downtown Santa Barbara for like 2-3 hours, so let's say 1:30-4:30 for this.
3) Evening looks like it takes around 2 hours to cover the remaining distance we have for the day. I think given that, we'd probably only stop in one of SLO or Solvang. Thoughts? I'm leaning towards Solvang because I have Scandinavian heritage and it looks slightly more unique than anything else on the road, but I could be convinced otherwise.
Day 5 (PCH Day 2)
1) Factoring drive time to the start of 17 Mile Drive, it looks to me like we'd get there about 10:30 if we left in the 7:30-8 range. To the above poster.. I see what you are saying about 3 hours being long for it, as it looks like the whole drive only takes about 30 minutes if there isn't traffic and you exit at the Pacific Grove Gate. Do you think then, because you mentioned the noteworthiness of Monterey Bay Aquarium, which I considered, that allotting about 2 hours for 17 Mile Drive is reasonable, and thus making a little more time in Monterey? If so, then
2) Might be seeing Monterey/Cannery Row outside for about 90 minutes, and the aquarium inside for about 90 minutes, so being in Monterey like 12:30-3:30, give or take.
3) Then Santa Cruz from like 4:30-6.
Where would I run into the most traffic, that would make potentially accomplishing all of these insurmountable? Thanks all!
Man, you guys are big planners! That's a detailed itinerary, down to the hour. Always stay flexible in case you really love play some more than you expected and want to spend more time there. It's really tough because California has so much to see, that even with all the things you are planning, you will just be skimming the very surface.
Anyway, I'm a Bay Area transplant to San Diego, I think we've spent a lot of time in LA as well. San Diego portion of the trip, I would also recommend Cabrillo Monument over Sunset Cliffs, because the views from the top are absolutely spectacular. You'll see the entire skyline, bay, mountains, and down to the Tijuana skyline. Also, going into the old historic lighthouse is a must. There are also some fantastic lookout points near the lighthouse, where you can see really far into the ocean and during the winter, see migrating whales. Going down the other side of the monument towards the coastline, you will see much more dramatic cliffs than even Sunset cliffs, and if you time it well, you would also be able to enjoy the tide pools. Cabrillo is my favorite place is in the region, so we actually have an annual pass. A fun detour not far from there is Liberty public Market. This could be really fun with the family, as it's a previous military base with historic Spanish architecture that's been turned into a massive food Hall, a few small scale museums and galleries, interesting shops, and great public spaces. On the east side of that area is an amazing walking path along an estuary with views of downtown. There's also a great brewery over there called Stone brewing, which can be a nice place to hang out. Although I think your family would really enjoy the food Hall and its outdoor spaces.
It's cool that you are interested in urbanism, as we are too. Architecture is always an interesting part of our vacations. Central library is really interesting and perhaps worth a quick visit. But do note that the area east of Petco Park has been a hotspot for homelessness, so look down the block and decide which direction you would like to walk. I will say that in the last 6 months, there's been a lot less visible homelessness as the city has been working very hard to relocate and assist this population that exploded during the pandemic, and it is generally getting much better in that part of the area. I don't think you will even I think it's all that bad and shouldn't be anywhere near the current worst pockets.
Mission brewery is indeed a very cool space in a historic building, but it's definitely a little bit off on its own and away from the main part of the area. I'm afraid you would miss some of the more concentrated areas of architectural interest. In particular, if you enjoy the historic architecture, you should walk through the Gaslamp Quarter on Fifth Avenue. While many of the shops and restaurants are geared towards tourists, you could do worse than taking your family for a casual lunch at The Melt and then top it off with an amazing ice cream sundae next door at Ghirardelli. It's just fun being surrounded by all the old buildings in that part of town. I also highly recommend spending a little time in Little Italy, which used to be a quiet neighborhood for Italian fishermen and has evolved into an extremely bustling, vibrant, modern neighborhood with lots of new glass high-rise towers amidst older buildings. There are fantastic gelato places, tons of restaurants, and some interesting small shops. I would walk the entirety of the neighborhood, both on the north and south side of India Street, as well as each of the parallel streets to the east and west.
Balboa Park is definitely a must. We go there all the time. If you do have time to visit museums, you really can't go wrong with the museum of art, the air and space museum, the anthropology museum (called the Museum of Us), the Mingei museum, the museum of photographic arts, or the natural History museum. However, you would probably have to pick one or two. If you don't want to spend time on that, at least pop into the timken art gallery, which is the only place to see art for free, it's right in the middle of the park, and there are some incredible works by famous masters. You can do it in 20 minutes. Other than that, walking around the park to marvel at the architecture and the gardens something I would take at least an hour to do at your leisure. Your family might enjoy getting tickets to walk all the way up to the top of the California Tower, which gives you amazing views of the region. Otherwise, the Palm canyon is really unique, because you descend a series of wooden stairs into a jungle type atmosphere. Also, the Japanese friendship garden is amazing. You would need to buy tickets there, but it's one of my favorite places anytime of year.
As for the area around there, you mentioned wanting to find Mexican coffee, and I understand the expectation of Mexican culture being intertwined with the fabric of the city. Truth be told, I don't usually see Mexican coffee in any of the urban neighborhoods, even though we have a very strong what you're here, with many local independent roasters and coffee shops. If you really want to experience Mexican coffee and urban culture infused with Mexican roots, and I would recommend making a pit stop to barrio Logan on the day you were visiting the Central library. There is a place called Por Vida that specializes in Mexican coffee, plus if you want a great taco shop, then I recommend Salud for really great quality, delicious food in a very funky and artsy atmosphere. Honestly, I would recommend that over lucha libre, because lucha libre is a bit more of a tourist place and his famous for its California burrito with carne asada, shrimp, and french fries. I personally think you will love salud. Same block. There are also some really unique galleries and shops over there. Now some people will swear by Cuatro Milpas nearby for some of the most famous tacos in San Diego, and I haven't tried it, but it's definitely we're off the beaten path and definitely not as funky as Salud, where the decor in music will add to the experience. If you're in that area, then of course you could also check out a huge modern Mexican grocery store if you've never seen something like that, and there's also a very interesting couple of coffee roasters, most notably Cafe Moto, which has a really cool shop where you can buy everything for making amazing coffee at home. See, now we're going down a rabbit hole a local places where you really need to spend a week here, haha.
Someone mentioned going to DZ akins for lunch, which is definitely a local institution but nowhere near where you're going to be sightseeing, so I would also skip that unless you were spending substantial time here.
Now as for your question about Santa Monica versus Pasadena, that's a huge quandary. Santa Monica is the more popular tourist destination, because it's right on the Beach and more connected to LA culture. There's some very cool art deco architecture all over that area, plus if you are going there, then I would recommend checking out the Abbot Kinney neighborhood of Venice beach, which I like much better than me traditional beachside area, even though it is famous. For a fan of urbanism, I think you'll like it better. Then of course, while in venice, you could walk the canals too... Pasadena is a good 40 minute drive away, so you can't do both, and Pasadena has its own charms. We are planning on doing a weekend getaway to Pasadena soon, because last time we were in LA, we did Santa monica. You gotta choose. Pasadena has a beautiful downtown with a lot of nice buildings. To me, Pasadena is the nicer City, but of course it won't have the beach or that classic LA vibe with people riding their bikes and enjoying that lifestyle. It's more of a West Coast Georgetown or something like that. There are some interesting things to visit there. The downtown of course is really bustling and has a lot of typical retail and restaurants like you would also find in Santa Monica. The historic residential architecture is phenomenal over there, and you could take tours of architecturally significant homes in the arts and crafts style. You could also visit the Simon Norton museum, which is fantastic, and the Huntington library and gardens could take the entire day. There's also a nearby observatory in the mountains. None of these things can be accomplished very very quickly. So my recommendation is, for a classic Los Angeles experience, stick to Venice and Santa monica. The architecture lovers, locals experience, do Pasadena.
I think your interest in the farmers market and Grove is really good. Both are super unique and a lot of fun. There's no place like that anywhere else. I also love the Getty museum. It's an amazing space, not just for the exhibitions but the architecture and the gardens around it. Some people mentioned spending more time in Santa Barbara and points north than in Malibu. I would agree with that as well. Santa Barbara is a really really charming and unique small city. Goiing North from there, you obviously pass by solvang, Ojai, Paso Robles, etc and any of those is worth checking out. SLO is a great college town. I don't know how it looks since the pandemic, but it's one of my favorite small cities in California. And of course, you've got shell beach, Avila Beach, Pismo Beach...
I noticed you didn't ask anything about Bay Area attractions, sounds like you are family will help you figure those out. It might be fun to drive through the mountains on Highway 92 towards Half Moon bay, where I would highly recommend going to the gates of the ritz-carlton, telling them you are looking for public beach access, and they will give you free parking on their grounds. From there, you can access some of the most beautiful and dramatic beaches next to stunning cliffs. I would just spend some time walking there and also checking out the incredible Hotel.
Sounds like a great trip, much too short of course. I'm really surprised it was so much cheaper to fly into San Diego since our airport is smaller than SFO or LAX, and usually our airfares are higher. But it's not a small airport either. Have a great time!
Hello all! Coming out to your beautiful state this summer, with the following planned itinerary:
June 28th: Flight out to San Diego
June 29th: Full Day of San Diego Sightseeing
June 30th: Driving up to Los Angeles, staying in Burbank (specifically, planning on touring SoFi Stadium and Visiting Griffith Observatory on this day)
July 1st: Full Day of Los Angeles Sightseeing
July 2nd: Driving up the Pacific Coast Highway (staying a little north of San Luis Obispo)
July 3rd: Driving remainder of PCH/north (staying with family in Foster City)
July 4th-9th: With Family in Foster City
July 10th: Flying Home
With all that said, I have the following travel-based questions, as I hope to maximize visit.
1) Sunset Cliffs looks really cool-esp the sea cave. Is that area by Luscomb's Point indeed the best to visit, and just how difficult is it to get out to the sea cave if timing it right with the tides?
2) As someone who is generally into urbanist places/cool public spaces, would you say that Santa Monica/Venice, or Pasadena is more worth visiting, and why?
3) Anywhere especially recommendable to visit on Olvera Street or Little Tokyo?
4)We are touring SoFi-I have heard Dodger Stadium is open free to the public to just walk in, take a peek at the stands, etc. Is this true?
5) As far as Hollywood/movie-based attractions-which one would you say is most worth visiting of the following: Hollywood Bowl/Museum, TCL Chinese Theatre Guided Tour, Dolby Theatre tour, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, or Other, and why? I remember touring WB when I was in 6th grade (a while back)-June 2003, but not sure I want to pay that much for a tour or spend that much time on one.
6) Which 2-3 things would you prioritize doing the most in the stretch between Malibu and SLO? Channel Islands NP looks beautiful, but I don't think we have that kind of time, as going there I think would take most of the day so that that is all we would do.
7) I highlighted this one as it's the question I'm most hoping to get answered-how likely is it that by early July, the full PCH will be open? I may not be going to Big Sur, otherwise. ]
8) How worth it is Pinnacles NP West-Balconies Cave Trail? Looks like it would be 45-50 minutes total on my drive (like 20-25 mins in each way in and out on the park road, and that's not factoring traffic. If you were deciding between only one of 17 Mile Drive, and Pinnacles, assuming going thru Big Sur was not an option.. which would you choose?)
9) How much would I expect to pay if I decided to bring my car into SF on the one day I plan to go see Alcatraz? Assuming I was staying 4-5 hours at a specific spot, is there any way I could get away parking relatively near Pier 33 for $20 or less?
10) Anything especially new or interesting you think I should check out, based on the fact that my family has the following combined interests: Urbanism, Hiking/Nature, Food, Shopping, Sports (though this last one, I can do my own research on so no worries there).
Thankful for anyone who may be willing to provide some guidance on some of these questions!
That's a lot.
One thing I'm not sure you're prepared for is traffic. Your trip is during peak season, over the 4th of July. All of the freeways in CA will be packed. Especially the ones near the beaches/ocean. Travel could easily be double over what you are expecting. And parking will be at a premium also. Good luck!
Wow, I appreciate everyone's detailed suggestions! A few things I'll get back to:
Day 1
For Balboa Park, unless you are going to go visit a few museums, you will probably be good after about 30 minutes walking around looking at the architecture. But it appears you are into shopping or unique items, and I would suggest stopping by the Spanish Village section of Balboa Park. It has many artist shops you can browse and buy from. I think a few of them are free, so I'd consider if someone told me one is especially worthwhile? Some of the periphery stuff looks interesting, and I wasn't aware of the shops you mention so I appreciate that. Looks like there's a Rose Garden near there too, and the Spruce Street Bridge looks interesting there too-one of our traveling party is my almost 4 y/o daughter, and so if there's a particularly good playground at Balboa or somewhere else in the city to let her run around for 15-20 minutes or so, I'm sure she'd appreciate that.
Sunset Cliffs are interesting, but IMO the view pales in comparison to the Central California coastline. So between that and Cabrillio, I would suggest Cabrillo. Coronado and the Hotel Del is interesting, but I think you may be stretching yourself a bit thin especially if you want to do everything else on your list that day. I appreciate that. This was what captivated my attention most, esp, if it's sort of doable to get down to when the tides are low, but again, I don't want to put too much on the plate, so just focusing on Cabrillo is probably wise.
Day 2 (Transition up to LA)
If you go to the Observatory realize a couple of items. Parking is often heavily impacted and at the observatory itself and not cheap. So you may want to look at alternate parking and shuttles or transportation. If you are going in the evening, you are going to want to spend more than an hour. Every evening(weather permitting) they open up the telescope for public viewing generally aimed at whatever may be interesting that evening.
I was curious about just how crazy this would be, esp given my timing lol. And why I'm thinking that maybe just a quick stop at Philippe's, and take some pictures of Olvera Street and Union Station might be the ticket. I'm a relatively well oiled machine, so if parking is a total mess, I'm open to dropping my wife and daughter off at the top, driving down and parking (even a mile if need be) and then jogging back up to meet them.
Day 4 (PCH Day 1)
I would focus less on Malibu and more on Santa Barbara North.
There is Morro Bay
I would consider straight up skipping the Malibu stretch-figuring that would give me more time in Santa Barbara itself, and if you factor the cut off drive time and total time that would leave available, it would leave more time for a possible stop in Solvang and/or SLO. Also, Morro Rock, at least if traffic to it isn't too horrendous, would only add about 25 minutes on to our total trip time versus the default direct path up 101 would-I think that's less than Malibu, and while it's a shorter stretch, as a single site, Morro Rock to me at least, looks more unique or memorable than anything we'd see in Malibu-not sure if I'm correct on that, just impression.
Day 5
For 17-Mile Drive, you "can" do it in 30 minutes but the big part of the drive is the scenery or golf. So if you are thinking you will just get through in 30 minutes, I would skip the toll and just go to Monterey. We like to take this drive, and then stop at Pebble Beach for Lunch. We will often grab something from the deli and head down to one of the beach areas for lunch. I would plan for at least 2 hours, but factor in you may be spending more time there. Oh, I definitely am planning on more like 2 hours in total on the 17 Mile. I just mentioned 3 hours before, and the other poster said we wouldn't need quite that long unless we had a golfing reservation booked. I was not sure how many hikes, detours, pull outs, etc. there were, so I was not quite sure how much total time to allot here.
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Man, you guys are big planners! That's a detailed itinerary, down to the hour. Always stay flexible in case you really love play some more than you expected and want to spend more time there. It's really tough because California has so much to see, that even with all the things you are planning, you will just be skimming the very surface. Absolutely and I hear that-it really is an incredible destination. We spent a week in Minnesota and did the Twin Cities in Summer 2023 and drove the length of the North Shore up to Grand Portage and back, and I feel like we got to see both the Twin Cities area and North Shore and in between really really well. Given the slightly less days we have for this stretch (5) and the fact there's just so. much. more. I'm realistic about the fact that were going to miss a lot, and that's okay. My last time taking a trip up the coast, I think I was like 10, so I have no real memory of it, and while I've spent a couple days in San Diego and a couple short trips to Los Angeles area more recently, I have specific places in mind for both that I haven't yet hit, and I'm hoping to just get an overall sampling of some really cool spots in each of the three areas, and just save what we can't for another longer visit when we have more time.
Cabrillo Monument over Sunset Cliffs, because the views from the top are absolutely spectacular. You'll see the entire skyline, bay, mountains, and down to the Tijuana skyline. Cabrillo is my favorite place is in the region, so we actually have an annual pass. A fun detour not far from there is Liberty public Market. This could be really fun with the family, as it's a previous military base with historic Spanish architecture that's been turned into a massive food Hall, a few small scale museums and galleries, interesting shops, and great public spaces. On the east side of that area is an amazing walking path along an estuary with views of downtown. I appreciate the recommendation-Cabrillo really sounds like a priority, so I will make sure we hit it.
It's cool that you are interested in urbanism, as we are too. Architecture is always an interesting part of our vacations. Central library is really interesting and perhaps worth a quick visit. But do note that the area east of Petco Park has been a hotspot for homelessness, so look down the block and decide which direction you would like to walk. I will say that in the last 6 months, there's been a lot less visible homelessness as the city has been working very hard to relocate and assist this population that exploded during the pandemic, and it is generally getting much better in that part of the area. I don't think you will even I think it's all that bad and shouldn't be anywhere near the current worst pockets. Makes sense, and I saved all your adjacent recommendations for Gaslamp as well!
Balboa Park is definitely a must. We go there all the time. If you do have time to visit museums, you really can't go wrong with the museum of art, the air and space museum, the anthropology museum (called the Museum of Us), the Mingei museum, the museum of photographic arts, or the natural History museum. However, you would probably have to pick one or two. If you don't want to spend time on that, at least pop into the timken art gallery, which is the only place to see art for free, it's right in the middle of the park, and there are some incredible works by famous masters. You can do it in 20 minutes. Other than that, walking around the park to marvel at the architecture and the gardens something I would take at least an hour to do at your leisure. Your family might enjoy getting tickets to walk all the way up to the top of the California Tower, which gives you amazing views of the region. Otherwise, the Palm canyon is really unique, because you descend a series of wooden stairs into a jungle type atmosphere. Also, the Japanese friendship garden is amazing. You would need to buy tickets there, but it's one of my favorite places anytime of year. I appreciate all these great thoughts on Balboa Park too!
Barrio Logan on the day you were visiting the Central library. There is a place called Por Vida that specializes in Mexican coffee, plus if you want a great taco shop, then I recommend Salud for really great quality, delicious food in a very funky and artsy atmosphere. Honestly, I would recommend that over lucha libre, because lucha libre is a bit more of a tourist place and his famous for its California burrito with carne asada, shrimp, and french fries. I personally think you will love salud. Same block. There are also some really unique galleries and shops over there. Now some people will swear by Cuatro Milpas nearby for some of the most famous tacos in San Diego, and I haven't tried it, but it's definitely we're off the beaten path and definitely not as funky as Salud, where the decor in music will add to the experience. If you're in that area, then of course you could also check out a huge modern Mexican grocery store if you've never seen something like that, and there's also a very interesting couple of coffee roasters, most notably Cafe Moto, which has a really cool shop where you can buy everything for making amazing coffee at home. See, now we're going down a rabbit hole a local places where you really need to spend a week here, haha. I love rabbit holes, lol-honestly, whenever I plan for a trip, I usually plan for learning and immersing about the area to such a point that I have about several weeks worth of things to sightsee or do or eat, or just learn more about the area's economy, culture, geography, etc. So I appreciate all of this. Specifically, the place you mention, Por Vida sounds like a must hit. We do have a local grocery chain in our area, but I'm guessing it has nothing compared to the level of the grocery you mentioned since it's such a significant percentage of residents regularly using it.
Now as for your question about Santa Monica versus Pasadena, that's a huge quandary. Santa Monica is the more popular tourist destination, because it's right on the Beach and more connected to LA culture. There's some very cool art deco architecture all over that area, plus if you are going there, then I would recommend checking out the Abbot Kinney neighborhood of Venice beach, which I like much better than me traditional beachside area, even though it is famous. For a fan of urbanism, I think you'll like it better. Then of course, while in venice, you could walk the canals too... Pasadena is a good 40 minute drive away, so you can't do both, and Pasadena has its own charms. We are planning on doing a weekend getaway to Pasadena soon, because last time we were in LA, we did Santa monica. You gotta choose. Pasadena has a beautiful downtown with a lot of nice buildings. To me, Pasadena is the nicer City, but of course it won't have the beach or that classic LA vibe with people riding their bikes and enjoying that lifestyle. It's more of a West Coast Georgetown or something like that. There are some interesting things to visit there. The downtown of course is really bustling and has a lot of typical retail and restaurants like you would also find in Santa Monica. The historic residential architecture is phenomenal over there, and you could take tours of architecturally significant homes in the arts and crafts style. You could also visit the Simon Norton museum, which is fantastic, and the Huntington library and gardens could take the entire day. There's also a nearby observatory in the mountains. None of these things can be accomplished very very quickly. So my recommendation is, for a classic Los Angeles experience, stick to Venice and Santa monica. The architecture lovers, locals experience, do Pasadena. Oh man.. honestly you've got me wanting to somehow do both of those now, maybe one day each, even if that means missing part or all of Downtown, Hollywood, etc. lol
I think your interest in the farmers market and Grove is really good. Both are super unique and a lot of fun. There's no place like that anywhere else. I also love the Getty museum. It's an amazing space, not just for the exhibitions but the architecture and the gardens around it. It's kinda gonna be one of those things on this trip, where it's like the old school Goosebumps choose your adventure page turners we read in later elementary school, and no matter which option of the 5-10 we have we pick, I think we'll end up having a great time. There really is just so much to see, and so much that will be relatively fresh and new for me. It sounds bad to say I almost eenie-meenie-miny-moe it after all my research on some trips.. but yeah, sometimes I definitely do just that haha.
I noticed you didn't ask anything about Bay Area attractions, sounds like you are family will help you figure those out. It might be fun to drive through the mountains on Highway 92 towards Half Moon bay, where I would highly recommend going to the gates of the ritz-carlton, telling them you are looking for public beach access, and they will give you free parking on their grounds. From there, you can access some of the most beautiful and dramatic beaches next to stunning cliffs. I would just spend some time walking there and also checking out the incredible Hotel. I appreciate that thought too! We are there to visit my wife's brother, who have a young child-spend time with them and baby. I intentionally don't want to plan too much since that is family time, but I'm sure we will venture out a few days. I'm hoping to help them with some household tasks while there, but I'm also thinking that me taking my daughter out to see some stuff in the vicinity (and she's a really, really awesome traveler), would quiet the house down, plus give my wife time to help more individual time to spend with baby, and helping.
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That's a lot.
One thing I'm not sure you're prepared for is traffic. Your trip is during peak season, over the 4th of July. All of the freeways in CA will be packed. Especially the ones near the beaches/ocean. Travel could easily be double over what you are expecting. And parking will be at a premium also. Good luck! You certainly aren't wrong on that-I mean, my last trip to California was 2016 (just in the Bay Area, and we got into city using mass transit when we went twice), and my last trip to Los Angeles was March 2013. So, it's been a bit. I will say, living with/visiting Disney, or beaches, traffic delays are a fact of life (including, sometimes getting to Disney from where we are taking close to 3 hours versus the 90 minutes it would be if just zipping along)-We also have, even since the pandemic officially started, made multiple trips to Atlanta and Miami, and visited Houston, Dallas, Washington DC, Boston and while not a big city, Yellowstone in summer, in that time, so we are no strangers to traveling to crowded destinations-still I get your point, LA and the Central Coast might be like a "final boss" of traffic delays compared to all of those, or figuratively, like the idea of an NFL team of traffic, versus just, really good SEC or B1G teams haha.
I definitely on the regular, get that our travel is a lot. But, it is important to understand that I do always research far more than I am necessarily actually able to hit, hoping to narrow it down to the optimal/best takeaways we can fit into that time. Even though I'm not as well traveled as him, for sure, if you're familiar with Peter Wade-that is the level of research and detail orientedness I generally go for in researching travel and places lol.
I do appreciate this, but I think the cost factor was the big thing which made us decide in that direction-granted, I know that's not the only thing to consider, but with 3 of us flying, at least the one-way airfare would've gone up quite a bit with adding on either another flight, or routing through SJC instead of SAN. Believe it or not, even factoring the slightly increased rental car cost which went into our booking for returning the car at a different airport (which, I worked until I was able to find one that didn't have an exorbitant difference on that), it's still several hundred dollars cheaper to work it out this way!
I totally understand the cost factor being primary. It's #1 for most people.
I just think L.A. deserves its own vacation. There's a lot to see, from the mountains to the beach. Plus a boat trip to Avalon (Catalina Island) is really fun. Kids love that trip. There's great skin diving there too.
The boat trip to Avalon is so fun and awesome it's worth it to take a couple of days and spend one night in Avalon.
It's been a while for me since I lived in LA but honestly, I wouldn't bother with Hollywood. I am not a big fan of Venice. I worked in SM for 5 years right on the beach. I think it's gotten so crowded and takes so much time to get through it, I can't really say there is anything there I wouldn't miss. The last time I was there in 2018 (I think), it took me so long to get anywhere in SM, I was ripping my hair out. It depends on what you like and what your interests are. I do enjoying Montana Avenue. Cools shops and some good restaurants for the SM vibe. Some of the homes in that area are pretty to look at.
If you are even remotely into science, the La Brea Tar Pits is pretty cool. Even my kids loved it.
Day 1
Sunset Cliffs are interesting, but IMO the view pales in comparison to the Central California coastline. So between that and Cabrillio, I would suggest Cabrillo. Coronado and the Hotel Del is interesting, but I think you may be stretching yourself a bit thin especially if you want to do everything else on your list that day.
If your choice ends up being Cabrillo Lighthouse, these are my suggestions.
If the weather is sunny, bring a blanket, buy some good takeout on the way, and make it a picnic lunch. Take a lazy afternoon and chill out, eat, watch the boats come in and out of the bay. A true afternoon of rest, napping, reading, lollygagging after your plane trip, and after your walking around Balboa Park is just what you may need. For these reasons, I consider Cabrillo Lighthouse to be an underappreciated San Diego day trip.
If it's cloudy or especially hazy, move on to Plan B.
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